Armenian Rice Pilaf
When I was a kid, one of my mom's dear friends was Armenian, and she made an UNBELIEVABLLY delicious pilaf. Fortunately for our family, this friend graciously shared her recipe with mom, and it's been a favorite ever since! The great news is it's a SUPER easy dish to make.
This is all you need:
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (this is 3/4 of a stick)
- 2 cups chicken broth (1 can if you're out of the homemade kind!)
- 1 cup boiling water (not pictured)
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 "coil" of vermicelli (about a handful if you don't have the "nest" kind)
- 1 handful of pinenuts
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the pinenuts and cook until brown. This brings out the nutty flavor, so don't rush past this part!When the pine nuts are brown, crumple the vermicelli into pieces and add to the butter and brown.When the vermicelli is brown, add the rice, chicken stock, and boiling water. The boiling water is important to make sure the cook time is accurate, so remember to plan ahead! Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. You should stir occasionally to make sure the rice isn't sticking!Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with your favorite entree (grilled tomato garlic shrimp for me!).Enjoy!